Hammond 'increasingly confident' of good access to EU markets after Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday he was increasingly confident that Britain would be able to get very good access to European Union markets after Brexit.

Hammond faced criticism on Thursday from a source in Prime Minister Theresa May's office for describing as "very modest" the changes that Britain would undergo as a result of Brexit.

Speaking to reporters in Davos, Switzerland, Hammond said it was important to be pragmatic about Brexit.

"We will negotiate the best possible access to EU markets and I'm increasingly confident that, starting from where we do, with the negotiating levers that we have, we will be able to get a good deal for Britain, with very good access to European markets," he said.

Hammond added that fourth-quarter UK growth data released earlier on Friday was "excellent".

(Reporting by David Milliken and Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison)